


The Waterfall Effect

by LJF



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But the Bunnies Had Other Ideas., F/M, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, It was supposed to be a one-shot, Magic, One Shot, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Reincarnation, Unofficial Sequel, other characters not mentioned in tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:20:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25280752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LJF/pseuds/LJF
Summary: After the craziest year of her life, Moira is looking forward to starting at a new school. But the people here are stranger than she could ever have imagined-- and yet, at the same time, achingly familiar......Guess her life is about to get even crazier.(Inspired by/sequel to Vathara's "What Comes Around"-- I would recommend reading that first, although I've tried not to include too many spoilers here.)
Relationships: Aladdin & Yamuraiha | Yamraiha, Jafar & Yamuraiha | Yamraiha, Sharrkan/Yamuraiha | Yamraiha, Sinbad & Yamuraiha | Yamraiha
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. A New Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vathara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/gifts).
  * Inspired by [What Comes Around](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5142077) by [Vathara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/pseuds/Vathara). 



> This was not the Magi fic I was planning on writing. I'm in the middle of a totally different one-shot about two of my favorite characters (I won't say who yet, but I _will_ tell you that the idea for it was "Nicknames"), when the idea for this one popped into my head and insisted on being written _right this second_ , soooo.....
> 
> Hopefully, I'll have the other one out sometime in the next week or so, but no promises.
> 
> For anyone who's read "What Comes Around," figure this is probably set like 3-8 weeks after the end of that one? I know WCA is near the beginning of the school year, and this is probably like the end of October-beginning of November-ish?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moira realizes she has some.... _special_ abilities and starts experimenting. She also makes some _interesting_ new friends, and learns some _very_ important information about a certain school.

"Good morning, class," Ja'far said, staring down at his students. Second period was Senior AP Bio, which happened to be one of his favorite classes-- primarily because any of the students who were in this class _wanted_ to be here.

It was a small class, which was to be expected. Hancock High was known for its exemplary performing arts program-- not too many drama students were interested in advanced biology. Ja'far didn't mind; the smaller class size was much easier to deal with.

"Alright," he said, after he'd finished taking roll. "Now then, in last night's homework-"

Suddenly, the classroom door banged open loudly. Ja'far rolled his eyes. _Overdramatic as always, Simon._

"Good morning, Principal Cavins," he said, turning towards the door, "What can I do for you?"

The purple-haired man standing by the door smiled widely. "I'm so glad you asked, Ja'far!"

 _Uh-oh,_ Ja'far thought, _this sounds like it's going to be inconvinient._ He steeled himself for whatever Simon was about to say.

"So, it turns out we have a new student today!" The man looked far too pleased with himself.

"That's very nice." The biology teacher, who was also the school's vice-principal, wasn't sure _why_ he hadn't been warned about a new student earlier, but right at the moment, he was teaching a class and didn't appreciate being disturbed. "Is there a reason you're telling me this now?"

"Because she's going to be joining this class, of course." _What?_

"Principal Cavins, this is an advanced class, and we're already two months into the semester. You can't possibly expect-"

"Keep your hair on, Ja'far," the exuberant former actor said. "I have no concerns about her ability to quickly catch and keep up with your exacting standards. Don't you worry."

"Yes, sir," he replied, not letting any annoyance show in his tone. He smiled, but his eyes were glaring. Simon ignored him, turning to talk to someone in the hallway.

"Alright, you have your schedule? You know how to find all of your classes?" Ja'far didn't hear a respose, but apparently Simon was satisfied, because he said something else to the unseen student. "Don't worry, I know he looks kind of scary, but don't let that fool you-- he may _look_ like he could kill you, but he's actually a cinnamon roll."

Ja'far snorted. Where did Simon get this stuff from?

"Alright, come in," Simon was saying. He moved aside, and a tall girl with hair so black it had a vague blue sheen walked into the room.

"I'd like you all to meet your new classmate," he continued. The girl looked around, taking in the clasroom and the various students sitting in their seats. Then she turned to face the front of the room. "Her name is-"

Ja'far couldn't hear the rest of the sentence. The moment the girl's eyes met his, he felt a flash of recognition run through him.

_It's you!_

* * *

If you had asked her a year ago, Moira Yamaguchi would have told you that of course she didn't believe in magic. She was a scientist at heart, generally preferring to stick with the realm of _actual fact_ , thank you very much.

Besides, she had more important things to worry about.

Becoming a high school drop-out at eighteen hadn't been the _plan_. But then her mom had gotten sick. Unfortunately, her boss didn't appreciate the constant absences, health notwithstanding, and had taken no time to fire her.

Moira's dad had died when she was in elementary school, and neither he nor her mom had any other family. Which meant that it was up to Moira to take care of her mom _and_ support the family. There just weren't enough hours in the day.

So she'd dropped out of school, starting working as many part time jobs as possible, and made sure her mother was able to focus on her own health as much as possible.

"It's _fine_ , Mom," she'd said everytime her mother started fretting that she was taking too much on herself, "Don't worry, I'll go back to school when you're better, okay? And in the meantime, I'm getting lots of work experience. This'll look _great_ on college applications."

She'd put all thoughts of _how_ she would possibly be able to pay for college out of her mind. She'd worry about all of that when her mother recovered.

And then..... something magical had happened.

At first, Moira had thought it was all just a product of her sleep-deprived imagination. That was the only possible explanation. After all, magic wasn't real, everyone knew that. So the fact that the cup of water she'd dropped _on its side_ hadn't spilled a drop must have some other reasonable explanation.

And the silver bird-shaped lights she started seeing everywhere were just a hallucination.

And the ball that would have hit her face if it hadn't slammed into some sort of invisible..... _something_ must have just lost momentum at exactly that moment.

But it was _because_ Moira prided herself on her love of logic that eventually she'd realized there was something strange and, for lack of a better word, _magical_ , happening to her. And she started investigating.What were the rules? Was this something she could control? How much could she do? She researched as much as she could, but there were so many different stories and legends of the arcane, and many of them contradicted each other. It was slow work, especially considering that she only had a few spare hours a day to study and practice.

And then there were the dreams. She didn't know if they were caused by her new powers or not, but right around the same time she realized she could do magic, she began having strange dreams. In some of them, she was doing magic, and she even managed to piece together a few new spells from those. But most of them were about people. She could never remember much about them when she woke up, but she could remember how they made her _feel_ \-- both happy and nostalgic-- as if she'd been recalling long-forgotten memories of happier times.

Eventually, she started making some headway. She figured out that there were different _types_ of magic, and that each one was somehow connected to a different color of the light-birds (apparently, they weren't all silver). She realized that water magic seemed to be easier than others, although she wasn't sure if that was a personal affinity or something that was true for anyone who could use magic. She learnt how to manipulate the water around her to do almost anything, and she even managed to find a couple of spells in an old tome in the library that _actually_ worked.

She knew she couldn't be the only person in the world with these abilities, but she didn't have a clue how to find any others. She knew there were certain people the light-birds seemed to be more active around, but she never saw any of them doing anything that even resembled magic. There was a family of redheads on her block-- she didn't know their name, as they mostly kept to themselves, yet they were so noisy and rambunctious one couldn't help but notice them-- around whom the light-birds were _really_ weird around, but it was nothing like she'd seen around herself or anyone else, so she didn't have a clue if it was magic or something else entirely. Did such things run in families?

Finally, she decided to at least _try_ to talk to them. Even if they just thought she was crazy, she wouldn't be any worse off.

So one afternoon, when her mother had _another_ overnight hospital visit, she walked over to their house. She stood nervously outside the door for a few moments, wondering what to say. _Can you guys also use magic? Can you see the light-birds? Do you know what's happening to me?_

She screwed up her courage and raised her hand, about to knock, when the door opened. A woman about her mother's age stood there. Tall-- Moira was pretty tall, but this woman _towered_ over her-- with flaming red hair and unusual shaped eyes. Moira also noticed that, considering her age, the woman looked incredibly fit.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked kindly.

"Umm, I'm Moira Yamaguchi. I live over there." She pointed at her house. The woman nodded.

"I've seen you around-- you're about my daughter's age. I'm Lenore MacLea." _MacLea_. Something about the name struck a cord, and Moira knew-- although she wasn't sure how-- that this was someone she could trust.

"Do you-- are you guys-- Do you know anything about...... magic?" Moira blushed. She was always the strong one, the confident one, but she felt out of her element here.

Mrs. MacLea wrinkled her forehead, and Moira's heart sank. _She doesn't know._

"Why do you ask, sweetheart?" Moira sighed.

"It's just.... the birds.... nevermind, it's fine, I'm sorry for bothering you." She turned to leave.

"Wait," the woman said. "Can you see them? The Rukh?" _Rukh?_ She'd never heard the word, but it felt right. _That's what those light-birds are called. The Rukh._

"Sometimes," she said.

"Why don't you come inside?" Mrs. MacLea held the door open for her."It seems we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Mrs. MacLea told her about the Rukh. The MacLeas (who were apparently a huge clan with branches all over the world) couldn't see them themselves, but, as they had some rather unusual abilities of their own (Moira gaped at the woman's demonstration of strength, speed, and sense of smell), they maintained a friendly relationship with others of the supernatural nature, including magicians.

"Unfortunately, I don't think there are currently any other magicians in this area," the friendly woman said. "So I don't know of anyone who could help teach you."

"That's alright," Moira said, "I don't really have time to go traipsing about. It's just nice to know I'm not crazy. To have someone to talk to."

Suddenly, Mrs. MacLea sniffed and stood up. "My children are here," she explained. "Do you have time to stay at meet them?"

"Just for a little while," Moira said, "I have to leave for work in a few minutes."

The front door slammed open, and seven kids of varying ages, all with the same flaming red hair and oddly shaped eyes came trooping inside.

"Children, we have a guest," Mrs. MacLea said. "This is our neighbor, Moira."

The oldest, a girl, laughed. "I'm Myra," she said, "That'll get confusing quickly. What are you doing here?"

"Don't be rude, Myra," Mrs. MacLea said. "Moira's a magician."

"Ooh, I didn't know there were any around here," the redheaded girl. "I've never seen anyone do real magic. Can you show us something?"

So Moira had done a couple of simple water tricks. Myra seemed impressed.

Before Moira left, Mrs. MacLea had one last bit of advice.

"I may not know much about magic," she said, "But from what I understand, it's much simpler if you have some kind of tool to direct the energy."

"Like a wand?" Moira asked.

"Yes, exactly."

Moira shrugged. Couldn't hurt to try.

* * *

Mrs. MacLea was right-- it _was_ easier with something to direct the energy. She didn't use anything in particular, just whatever stick she happened to find at the time. Perhaps one day she would find something permanent.

As time went on, she began spending more time at the MacLeas'. She couldn't go over too often, but it was always nice to go over and spend time with people who knew her secret, people who wouldn't think she was crazy or weird.

And then, finally, near the end of the summer, Moira's mother started getting better. She still wasn't in perfect health, but she was definitely much stronger.

"You _will_ be going back to school in the fall _,_ " she'd insisted, and Moira had been too relieved to protest.

The problem was, the doctors didn't think the climate in the area was good for Mrs. Yamaguchi's health. Some place warmer would be better.

"We're moving," Moira said glumly one day, as she sat at the MacLea's kitchen table. It wasn't that she didn't understand _why_ they were moving, and she _did_ want what was best for her mother's health, but at the same time, she couldn't bear to leave her new friends. How could she start over in a new place, among strangers who didn't know anything about the magical or unusual?

"What a shame," Mrs. MacLea said. "Where to?"

"Florida," she sighed.

"Oh?" The older woman smiled. "We have a lot of family in Florida-- many of the MacLeas are fisherfolk. Where in Florida?"

Moira told her the name of the town. Mrs. MacLea's eyes lit up.

"That's where Malachy and his family live," she said. "They have a niece a few years younger than you. Perhaps you two might become friends." Moira smiled.

"If I recall, there was something interesting about the school those kids go to," the woman mumbled. "I should call Shionne..... Moira, can you come over tomorrow?"

"That shouldn't be a problem." She'd already quit most of her jobs, but even though the school year had started nearly a month ago, she hadn't gone back to school yet. She'd convinced her mom she may as well wait to start fresh once they got to Florida. They hadn't found one yet, but Moira wasn't concerned. She figured there was probably some public high school in the area she could attend.

Mrs. MacLea, however, had other ideas.

"Moira, dear, you told me you want to study engineering, right?" The friendly woman confronted her as soon as she stepped throught the door the next day.

"Um, yeah, why?" Moira asked, slightly blindsided.

"Have you ever heard of Hancock High School?" Moira shook her head. "It's the school my relatives I told you about yesterday attend."

"Okay?"

"The principal, Simon Cavins, is a former actor, as well as a good friend of Cousin Malachy's, and he's turned the school into one devoted to the performing arts."

 _Simon Cavins, hmmm?_ The name sounded vaguely familiar. _Oh, right, Sinbad!_ When she'd first starting researching magic, the tales of Sinbad the Sailor had come up in a lot of the books she was reading, so she'd studied many versions of the old legends-- including the somewhat dated movies starring Simon Cavins.

"That's interesting, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Well, they don't only focus on acting," Mrs. MacLea explained. "They have programs for anything having to do with acting or performing: theater, dance, music, and, more importantly for you, technical engineering."

"Oh!" Now that _definitely_ sounded interesting. And expensive.

"Mrs. MacLea, that sounds fascinating, but I couldn't possibly.... you know....."

"Nonsense," the women said, crossing her arms. "I told you Malachy is friends with the principal. He's also a part-time instructor at the school and has agreed to talk with Mr. Cavins to arrange a scholarship or something of the sort for you."

"Mrs. MacLea, I couldn't possibly impose like that." She sighed.

"Don't worry, the principal won't have any problem agreeing. After all, you have something he wants." 

"What do you mean?" She was a nineteen year old drop-out with few practical skills.

"Now, this is just between you and me," Mrs. MacLea said, "But Principal Cavins has always been somewhat.... eccentric. Which means he tends to attract other unusual people. Aside from a MacLea, he has several _interesting_ people on staff. _Including_ a few magicians."

"What?" Moira had never met a single other magic user. The thought that she might possibly be able to attend a school where she could encounter other people like her was mind-boggling.

"Not only that, but if I understood Shionne correctly, Mr. Cavins has recently added several new areas of instruction to the curriculum. One might almost say they were..... _magical_."

" _WHAT?!_ " Moira gaped. "Are you saying that he's actually teaching his students _magic_?"

"Among other things," Mrs. MacLea explained. "After all, not everyone has the capability to become a magician. Fortunately, there are are other things one can do with the right sort of training."

Moira could barely hear her. _A school..... where I could not only study engineering, but also learn magic properly? Sounds like a dream come true!_

"So," The older woman said, sipping her drink. "Would you like Malachy to arrange something for you?"

" _Please._ "

* * *

She spoke to her mother when she got home. She didn't mention the magical side, of course, but she told her mother all about the school, and the fantastic programs they offered, and explained that Mrs. MacLea's cousin could arrange a scholarship for her.

At first, her mother was somewhat hesitant, but after checking out the school website and seeing what they offered for herself, she agreed.

"As long as you're sure this is what you want, honey," she said.

"YES!" Moira said. "Thank you _so_ much, Mom!"

"You've been so good to me this year," her mother said. "You put your entire life on hold. You deserve this."

* * *

It took a few more weeks, but finally they'd arrived at their new home. Mrs. Yamaguchi was able to find an affordable apartment, and even a decent paying job in town.

When Moira arrived at Hancock High on her first day, she was feeling nervous. She hadn't yet had a chance to meet the local MacLeas, not even Mr. Malachy MacLea, who'd arranged all of this for her. She didn't know anybody here. What if this whole thing was nothing more than some cruel joke?

 _What on Earth is that?!_ She couldn't see it properly, but there appeared to be some sort of giant tower rising up from behind the school building. _I'll have to look at it later, I don't want to be late._

Principal Cavins accosted her almost as soon as she entered the building.

"Ah, you must be Miss Yamaguchi," the larger-than-life purple-haired man exclaimed. "What a pleasure to meet you!" She smiled. Then she tilted her head in confusion. _He seems..... familiar, somehow._ She couldn't figure out what it was. _Is it just because I saw his movies?_ But that didn't feel right. She didn't feel like she was meeting a celebrity. This felt more like..... reuniting with an old friend. She couldn't figure it out.

He scuttled her off to his office, where he started going over her schedule. She'd hoped to ask him about magic, but she barely had a chance to talk.

"What about AP Biology?"

"Can I start an AP class this late in the semester?" She hadn't thought that possible.

"Miss Yamaguchi, I've seen your transcript. I have every faith you will quickly be able to catch up. Don't worry, Mr. Zvezdilin will _love_ you!"

"Zve- what?" She didn't have a clue how to pronounce that.

"Just call him Ja'far," the principal said. "Or Mr. Ja'far, if you will. Everyone else does. By the way, he's also the vice-principal." _Ja'far..... that sounds_ really _familiar._ And, again, it wasn't just because of a movie.

They went over a few other parts of her schedule

"Principal Cavins, sir, I was told you also offer classes in ma-"

"Would you look at the time?" He pointed to the clock. "Looks like second period is starting. Let's see, today you have.... would you look at that, AP Bio! Come on, we wouldn't want to keep Ja'far waiting."

She followed behind him, listening as he pointed out different parts of the building.

"That's the gym, you'll have a period there tomorrow. That's the cafeteria. That's the auditorium, and oh, here we are, the biology lab."

He banged open the door and explained to the teacher that he had a new student. Then he came back out and waved her in.

"I'd like you all to meet your new classmate," he said. She looked around. It wasn't a small classroom, but there were only..... _nine_ students? That didn't seem like much. She wondered why it was such a small class. Then she turned to look at the teacher. "Her name is Moira Yamaguchi."

She barely heard him. The man standing at the front of the room looked young, no more than six or seven years older than her. Far too young to be both a biology teacher _and_ vice-principal of a school.

 _I can see the Rukh fluttering around him. Is he a magician?_ But before she could follow that train of thought, she realized something else.

 _I_ know _him._ She didn't know _how_ she knew him, but she definitely felt like she'd met him before. _White hair, freckles, on the shorter side....._ She couldn't recall _ever_ meeting someone like that. 

In fact, she'd have thought for sure it was just her imagination.

Except for the fact that he was looking at her _the exact same way_ she was looking at him. As if she was someone he had once known, but had lost hope of ever seeing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in my original idea for this story, Moira didn't meet any MacLeas until she started at Hancock. Or maybe she did know some vaguely in her old town, enough to recognize the ones she met at school, but she didn't have any real relationship with them.  
> And then I started writing and I was just like....... I don't want her getting any magical training yet, but the poor girl should have _someone_ to talk to about all the craziness that is her life. (Besides, how did she even find out out Hancock High in the first place?) Enter your friendly neighborhood MacLeas.


	2. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On her first day at Hancock High, Moira meets some _very_ familiar people and learns the truth about her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Aladdin!

He would not panic. He would _not_. Even if one of his fellow generals had just walked into his classroom. Even if she appeared to recognize him.

Ja'far tried to get through the class as calmly as he could. Finally, the bell rang.

"Miss..... Yamaguchi, was it?" She nodded. _I won't forget that._ "If it's no trouble, I would ask that you come back here when the lunch bell rings? I just need to speak with you for a few minutes, if you don't mind."

"Of course, sir," she said, nodding politely. A pang of loneliness struck him. She was looking at him the way any of his other students might. The recognition he _thought_ he'd seen in her eyes was gone.

 _Did I imagine it? Maybe she really doesn't remember. Maybe she doesn't know about.... any of this._ But the Rukh were fluttering around her enough that he could tell she was _definitely_ a magician, and likely a powerful one. _Of course she is._

* * *

When the lunch bell rang, she grabbed her things and headed for the lab. She wondered what he wanted to talk about. Magic, perhaps? Or maybe something else...... 

"Ah, Miss Yamr- excuse me, Yamaguchi, thank you for coming." She pulled up a chair and sat down in front of his desk.

"What did you wish to discuss, Mr. Ja'far?"

"Don't call me that," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I thought.... Mr. Zve..... what was your name, again?"

"Never mind," he said, sighing, "It's fine."

They sat there awkwardly for a few minutes, but he didn't say anything else. _What does he want?_

"Mr. Ja'far, if there's nothing else-"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Ja'far? Uncle Simon said you wanted to see me?" It was the voice of a young man, his voice still prepubescently high. _Did he say_ Uncle _Simon? A relative of the principal's?_

"What? No, I never-" The door opened. Moira turned to see who it was, and winced _So bright!_ The Rukh...... they were so thickly clustered around the boy that she couldn't even see him. _Who is that?_ She wasn't totally shocked, because she _had_ seen the Rukh cluster like that before, around one other person. However, that person _wasn't_ a magician. This boy clearly was. Everything from the staff in his hand to the gemstone shining on his forhead _screamed_ of magic, and as the Rukh moved, she stood up, trying to see him clearly. He was about fourteen or fifteen, with bright blue eyes, and blue hair tied back in a braid that trailed down to his legs.

And then she gasped. Because, just like with Principal Cavins, and just like with Ja'far, she _knew_ him. _Alright, something strange is_ definitely _going on. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but a third time? There's got to be a pattern here. I just don't know what it is._

"Okay, is one of you going to tell me _what the he_ -" She was interrupted by what felt like a train running into her.

"Miss Yam!" The blue-haired boy was hugging her. Why was he hugging her? "Oh, Miss Yam, it's you, it's really you!" She didn't know why, but something inside told her to hug him back. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. The she let go.

"Who are you?" Moira looked from him to the teacher, who was staring at the two of them in shock. " _Both_ of you. And _how_ do we know each other?"

* * *

"Previous lives?" The dark-haired girl who'd once been his teacher-- _Moira_ , she said her name was-- looked from him to Ja'far, taking this all in.

"You're saying the three of us-- and the principal, because I felt it with him too-- knew each other in another life?"

"Yep!" Aladdin said, nodding. "Well, not me, exactly. I'm still in the same life I was when we first met."

"But didn't you say this was thousands of years ago? In another world?" Miss Yam-- _Moira_ , he had to remember most people prefered to be called by their current names-- seemed somewhat confused, but she wasn't in denial the way some of the others had been.

"Yeah, I was sleeping," Aladdin explained. "For a _really_ long time." Miss Moira pondered this for a moment.

"Some kind of magic?" She looked at his staff.

"Yep!"

"Miss Yamaguchi, did you already know about magic?" Ja'far asked, brow furrowed.

"Yes, I realized what I could do months ago, and a neighbor of mine explained to me about the Rukh and magicians and such," Miss Moira explained. "She told me I would be able to find someone to teach me here. That's why I came." Aladdin and Ja'far looked at each other.

"You came for a _teacher_?" Aladdin laughed.

"I'm not sure why that's funny," she said, crossing her arms. "I can only go so far on my own without proper instruction, you know. Didn't you have a teacher?"

"Yep!" Aladdin smiled widely. "You!"

"What?" Miss Moira stared at him as if he was speaking another language. He was _pretty_ sure he'd been speaking English, although he knew sometimes he tended to slip back into the language of his old world.

"My first real magic teacher was Miss Yamraiha," he explained. "You, in your past life. Later, I went to Magnostadt's academy and studied magic there, but you were the first."

Miss Moira seemed to ponder that for a bit.

"So, in my previous life, I was a talented magician?" 

"That's an extreme understatement, Miss Yamaguchi," Ja'far said, "You were considered one of the brightest and most talented magicians in the world. That's why you were given charge of training a Magi."

"A Magi?" She looked at Aladdin, confused. "I recall seeing the term while I was doing my research, but I wasn't quite clear on what it meant."

"A Magi is a magician of creation," Ja'far explained. "The Magi are the beloved of the Rukh, and can draw unlimited power, _magoi_ , from them. Regular magicians like you and me can only use the _magoi_ from our _own_ Rukh." Miss Moira nodded.

"Does the principal know about.... all of _this_?"

"Simon knows about magic, although he's not a magician himself," Ja'far said, "And he knows that he knew me, Aladdin, and several other people you're likely to meet around this school in his past life."

"Does he know about _me_?" Miss Moira asked. "Because I know he was told that I'm a magician, but does he know that he knew me in his past life?"

"Quite possibly," Ja'far said, scratching at his neck. "He didn't even tell me a new student was coming. He may have guessed something when he heard your name-- he knows the names of all his past companions, and yours isn't so different from your past name-- but he couldn't have been sure. And it's very likely he thought you seemed familiar, the same way you thought he did. Since he knows about _before_ , there's a good chance he's figured it out."

"But back to the whole 'genius magician in a past life' thing," Miss Moira said. "You're telling me I've _already_ learnt a lot of magic, but I don't remember because it was in a past life?"

Aladdin and Ja'far both nodded.

"So maybe I don't need another teacher," she mused. "Is there a way to restore my past memories?"

"There _is_ a ritual," Ja'far said, "I underwent it when I was younger, and Aladdin and I have arranged it for a few of our friends."

"But not all of them," Miss Moira said, pondering this. "Why not?"

"Our past lives weren't all sunshine and rainbows, Miss Yamaguchi," Ja'far said. "Some of us experienced severe trauma and would rather not relive it. Others made choices they would never make now and don't want to risk becoming the type of person who _would_ again. And for others..... they want to live fully in _this_ life, rather than the past. I have only performed the ritual for those who have asked _me_." Miss Moira nodded, thinking this over.

"For me, personally," she said, "I believe that if I dealt with trauma before, I can deal with it again. If I made poor choices, then I'm willing to face the consequences. And I intend to _learn_ from the past, not remain trapped in it." She looked each of them in the eyes. "So, would you please set up this ritual for me?"

Aladdin looked at Ja'far and shrugged. The older magician nodded.

"Alright, Miss Yamaguchi," Ja'far said, "Do you have any plans after school?"

"Not really," she said.

"Alright, then after the final bell rings, come down to the gym," said Ja'far. "Do you know where it is?" She nodded.

Suddenly, the bell rang. Ja'far wrote a quick note and handed it to Miss Moira.

"I apologize for taking up your entire lunch period," he said. "Go eat something, and give this note to the teacher of your next class."

"It was no loss," she said. "I learnt quite a lot. Thank you. I will see you both later." She got up and left the room.

"Hey, Ja'far," Aladdin said. "Why don't we have a little fun with this?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," the white-haired magician said, a smirk on his face. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Moira heard voices-- more than she was expecting-- as she approached the gym.

"What's this about?" A gruff voice asked.

"You'll see," replied Ja'far.

"Bad news, Drakon can't make it." That sounded like Principal Cavins.

"What, really?" Aladdin sounded disappointed.

"Do you know what this is about, buddy?" Another boy.

"Yep! But I'm not telling!"

Moira stepped into the gym.

"I was not aware you were planning on inviting the entire school to this spectacle, Mr Ja'far." She looked around. Principal Cavins sat on the bleachers, phone in hand. Ja'far was standing near him, while an unfamiliar redheaded man who appeared to be in his late thirties was sitting on the bench behind him. _Definitely a MacLea._ Aladdin sat a little further down, talking to a brown-haired boy and a redheaded girl who was also obviously a MacLea. Six people, only three of whom she'd met before, and only today. But all six of them felt warm. Familiar. _Like people I knew in a past life,_ she realized. At her voice, all six of them turned to look at her.

She walked over to the older MacLea.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you are Mr. Malachy MacLea?" He nodded. "I'm in your debt," she said.

"So you're Lenore's protégé. The pleasure is mine, Miss Moira," he said. then he looked at her more carefully. "Ja'far, is she..... one of us?"

"I _knew it!_ " Principal Cavins yelled. "I knew it as soon as I heard her name!"

"I suspected you might," Ja'far said.

"I found her first," the principal said, his voice sing-songing like a schoolyard taunt. _And this man is a school principal? And apparently my friend from a past life. Odd._

Aladdin and his friends had scooted over to join them.

"Another general?" The older boy looked at her, curious. Now that he was closer, she could see that, while his hair _did_ have some brown, it was actually mostly golden, especially at the roots.

"She was my teacher," Aladdin explained. The MacLea girl's eyes widened.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she said. "My name is Morgan Mac-"

"MacLea, yes," Moira said, nodding. "Your-- cousin? Yes, I believe she would be your cousin-- told me about you." The redhead smiled.

"Your teacher?" The older boy seemed confused.

"Yeah, Alan, I learned magic from her in Sindria," Aladdin explained. "Remember? This was while Mor was training with Masrur" he nodded toward Malachy "and you were learning swordplay from-"

"Sorry I'm late, I got held up!" Moira froze as she heard the new voice. _Turn around. Look at him._ "So what's the big deal? We conquering another dungeon or something? Wait, who's the chick?" _Just turn around._ Moira tooked a deep breath, then turned to face the intruder.

He was tall, with piercing green eyes that widened when they met hers, and he looked no more than eight or ten years older than her. His hair was dark, but, like Alan's, it was changing color at the roots, turning white. His skin was tanned-- not quite olive tone, but darker than someone would get just by hanging out at the beach.

She recognized him, of course. Just like she recognized the other six people in the room. But the feelings he evoked were entirely different than the others. With the principal, she felt cheerful, yet exasperated, as though he were a fun-loving and troublesome friend about to ask if he could copy off of her homework. With Mr. Ja'far and Malachy, she felt a sense of warm companionship, like old friends she'd never truly forgotten. Aladdin felt like a kid brother, funny and lively, yet also somewhat annoying. And as for Alan and Morgan..... she got the feeling they weren't especially close, but she trusted them and felt happy to see them.

None of those were anywhere close to the full-on _waterfall_ of feelings this seventh person evoked. She tried to untangle and identify the various emotions she was feeling.

 _Anger._ She was _angry_ , extremely so. She wasn't sure exactly what he'd done, but she was sure it was something despicable. Before she could stop herself, she'd marched herself over to him and opened her mouth, a spew of words even she didn't fully understand pouring from her lips.

"You," she said, pointing at him, "Are an _idiot_."

"Yep," he said.

"An utter _fool_ ," she continued, poking his chest.

"Correct," he answered.

"An absolute _imbecile_ ," she said, poking him again.

"Also true," he replied. She could see the tips of his lips twitching, as if he were fighting to hold back a smile. Somehow, that made her even angrier.

"Your stupidity knows no bounds," she continued, remaining deadly calm.

"I don't know if I would go _that_ far," he said, crossing his arms. But his lips were still twitching.

"You're a liar and a sneak and I find myself sorely tempted to douse you in boiling water," Moira continued, hands on her hips.

"And you would be well within your rights to do so," he replied, "I definitely deserve it."

"Are they always like this?" She heard a voice-- vaguely, she recognized it as Malachy's-- asking the others.

"Usually it's worse," Ja'far replied. "She hasn't called him Baldy or insulted his swords even once, and they haven't started wrestling and pulling at each other's hair yet."

" _Wrestling_?" The principal gaped. "Those two?"

"Yep!" Aladdin chimed in.

She ignored all of them, eyes focused on the man in front of her.

"You have _seriously_ messed up this time," she said.

"Just this time?" He looked down at her. "The other times were alright?"

"I didn't say that," she snapped.

"What I said," she continued, stepping closer as he slowly backed away, "Is that you're a stupid, foolish imbecile who has made a stupid, foolish mistake."

"You're not wrong," he said, still stepping back.

"Ja'far, I think I need popcorn for this," Principal Cavins said.

"Already made," the magician said, handing the older man a bin. "I had a feeling we were going to need it at some point."

"You're not going to argue with me?" Moira stepped even closer.

"Nope." He took another step back.

"Tell me I'm overexagerating?" Step.

"You're not." Step.

"Oh?" Step.

"I _am_ stupid and foolish, and all those other things you said." Step.

"And why is that?" Step.

"Because I left. Or because I didn't come back. Or because I let you go in the first place. Or because of any number of other stupid decisions I made." Step.

"Is that so?" Step.

"Yeah." Step. His back hit the wall.

"You," she said, poking him again as she closed the space between them, "Are quite probably the most foolish man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting."

"Probably." he said, his lips finally curling into a smile.

"Didn't you know how much I missed you?" A tear slipped down her face.

"About as much as I missed you," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

She hugged him back, the tears coming faster as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's alright," he said, holding her as she sobbed into his shirt. "I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly, the two of them slid to the floor, him cradling her gently as she cried out all the pain and rage and hurt and loneliness that had formed such a tightly tangled nest in her heart.

Eventually, when the tight knot in her chest had abated, she pulled her head away, looking at his face.

"So," she said, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks, "Who are you, anyways?"

He let out a laugh, standing up and offering her a hand.

"These days, they call me Tiburon," he said, pulling her up. "And you?"

"Moira," she said, rubbing a stray tear off her face. "I'm Moira Yamaguchi. Nice to meet you, Tiburon. Sorry for making such a mess of you shirt." She gestured towards the wet, snotty patch on his shoulder. He shrugged.

"It'll wash out."

A loud chorus of laughter and "aww"s came from the bleachers.

"Alright, you pervs, show's over!" Tiburon yelled at them. He turned back to look at her and visibly blanched.

"Wait," he said, pointing at her uniform. "You're a _student?!_ "

"Yeah," she said, shrugging, "I kind of missed most of last year, so I'm repeating senior year."

"So you're...."

"Nineteen." She looked him over, trying to figure out what the issue was.

"Miss Yamaguchi," Principal Cavins said. She turned back to look at him. "I'd like you to meet _Instructor_ Tiburon. He teaches swordplay here at the school."

 _Wait, Instructor?_ Swordplay _?_

Her eyes widened. She turned back to Tiburon, crossing her arms.

"Seriously?" Moira asked. He nodded, looking sheepish. "You spend your time _playing with swords_?"

"What's wrong with swords?" He looked offended.

"I will never understand what people find interesting about waving pointy pieces of metal at each other," she said, rolling her eyes. "There are much better ways to settle disagreements than hacking each other to pieces!"

"What, like magic?" He scowled. "What's so much better about that? All you do is wave a stick and--"

"Alright, alright," Ja'far said, standing up from the bleachers. "Settle down. You two can spend the next sixty years having this argument. In the meantime, the rest of us have other things to do today. Aladdin, is everything set up in the closet?"

"Yep."

"Wait, set up for what?" Tiburon looked concerned.

"I asked Mr. Ja'far and Aladdin to help me get my memories back," Moira explained.

"Ohhhh," four voices said in unison.

"Come on, you ready Miss Moira?" Aladdin said grabbing her hand. She nodded, and he dragged her off the supply closet, Ja'far following after them.

* * *

Tiburon facepalmed.

"I," he said, "Am an idiot."

"Yes, we've established that," Simon said. "Wasn't that what the whole whatever-that-was between you and Miss Jailbait about?"

Tiburon scowled at him. "Shut up."

"Whatever you say, your foolishness."

"Simon."

"Yes, Sir Imbecile?"

"Malachy, can you do something with him?"

* * *

It was getting late. The sun was starting to set. He checked his phone again.

 _Sorry, I have to stay after school for something, so I'll probably be a little late._ This was more than just a _little_ late.

 _Where is her school, anyways?_ He pulled up the address. _Oh, it's only like fifteen minutes away._

He pulled up directions and started walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, Moira was supposed to go to the cafeteria after talking with Aladdin and Ja'far, where she would be shocked by the other students' casual mentions of magic and explanations of the dungeon. Maybe even have a little chat with Morgan.
> 
> And then I was like, "Yeah, there's no way _this_ conversation _doesn't_ take up the entire lunch period."


	3. A New Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another trouble-making teen gets caught in the fray, and Aladdin must deal with the consequences of his actions.

_Weird._ The school building itself was pretty average-looking. It didn't really look that different from the middle school he was attending.

No, the weird part was that foreign-looking tower out back. _What kind of school has a tower like that? Do they use it for performances or something? Is there a moat and a dragon, too?_ He was tempted to head back there and check it out, but he had other things to worry about. _Moira. Where is she?_

He walked into the school building. The lights were still on, but it was pretty quiet. He could hear some faint noises coming from somewhere far off. He followed the noises to what appeared to be a gym. The door was closed, but he heard someone shouting.

 _Better be careful. Don't want to risk getting dragged into someone else's fight._ Carefully and quietly, he opened the door and stepped inside, only to see one of the strangest sights he'd ever seen.

On the right hand bleachers sat three men. One had bright red hair, and his arms were crossed, his eyes focused on the middle of the room. Of the other two, one of them had pure white hair while the other had..... _purple_? ( _What kind of adult has purple hair?_ ) These two were also watching the middle of the room, but they were whispering and writing in a notebook. If he had to guess, he'd say they were placing bets on something.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the room, a tanned guy with black-and-white hair was gripping the arm of a blond haired boy not much older than he was. The tanned guy was yelling at...... was that _Moira_? His calm, even-tempered sister who rarely so much as raised her voice?

But she was certainly raising it now. She was clinging to a blue haired boy who had to be even younger than the blond, and yelling right back at the other guy.

In between them stood another teenager, a red haired girl who, although she didn't seem to be talking, looked as though she was trying to play peacemaker between the feuders.

 _What on Earth are they fighting about?_ He listened to the words they were saying, but they didn't make sense.

"Alan's definitely better," the guy was yelling. "He's bright, talented, and he can beat trained fighters in his sleep! Of course he'd win!"

"He couldn't beat Aladdin with a mere _sword_ , Tiburon!" Moira said. "Aladdin's spacial magic could easily deflect any swordblows Alan threw at him!"

_What? Did she just say 'spacial magic?'_

"That's so cheating!" The yelling guy, who he guessed was Tiburon, yelled back. "He can't use his super-Magi powers for this-- they're way too OP!"

"They are not!" Moira replied. "Magic is just better. Admit it! It's stronger _and_ more versatile."

 _They're not talking about, like, real magic, are they?_ His studious, scientific sister, arguing in defense of magic?

"You guys, this is a silly argument," the blue-haired boy said. "Alan and I are _friends_. We're not going to fight each other."

"Yeah, what he said," complained the blond boy. "And Tiburon, mind letting go? You're kind of cutting off my circulation here." The older man instantly let go, while the blue-haired kid ( _Aladdin?_ ) wigglied free from Moira's grasp.

"It doesn't matter if we're talking about Alan and Aladdin, you and me, or anyone else," Moira was saying. "Magic beats swords, no question!"

His eyes got even wider as his sister pulled out a stick and Tiburon unsheathed the sword at his side. Seriously, what twilight zone had he just walked into?

Suddenly, the blue-haired kid turned in his direction and his eyes widened.

 _No!_ He shook his head, his arms making an x in front of him. _Don't say anything. Please! I'm not here!_

Unfortunately, Aladdin either didn't understand what he was trying to say, or the guy had chosen to ignore it.

"You, you're _alive_? What are you doing _here_?"

The boy's shout distracted the two people bickering. Tiburon lowered his sword and turned around. Moira, however, had been mumbling what was _apparently_ a spell ( _what was happening_ ), and when she stopped the incantation in the middle, a bolt of _something_ flew out the end of her _wand_ , which was facing the direction Aladdin was staring: directly at him.

Before he could move, the _thing_ hit in the chest ( _cold, so cold_ ) and he flew backwards.

The last thing he heard was his sister yelling his name.

* * *

He woke up to shouting. _Moira? Why are you yelling?_

"You did _what_ to my brother?!"

"I told you, we sealed off his powers."

"And what does that mean?"

"I _thought_ it had bound them permanently, so he'd never have magic in _any_ lifetime. It also put a tighter seal on his previous memories, so he wouldn't be haunted by memories of the past the way a lot of you were."

_What?_

"Well, _clearly_ it didn't work properly. I've been able to see his magic since before I knew what it was! It was all there, he just couldn't feel it. Couldn't use it."

"And you just broke the seal."

"What?"

"He was supposed to stay _oblivious_ to magic. By attacking him _with_ magic-- however accidentally-- you changed that. He should be able to use it now."

"Is that a good thing or a bad one?"

"Neither-- you should know, magic is a tool like any other. And this time, he has the free choice to use it in the way he best sees fit. It's up to him now."

"Moira," he mumbled. "What happened?"

"I am _so_ sorry," she said, taking his hand. "It was my fault. I accidentally hit you."

"Magic," he said, rubbing his head and slowly sitting up. "It's real."

"Yes, it is," she said. There was something weird by her face-- floating silvery things that looked resembled butterflies. Or birds. He wasn't sure.

"What are th-" It was then that he noticed the third person in the room. It was that blue-haired boy, Aladdin.

He _knew_ that, and yet he couldn't really see him-- there were so many of the light-things swarming around the other boy to properly see his face.

"You!" He said, pointing. He was _mad_ at the guy. Partially because the older boy had gotten him into this mess in the first place, and partially because.....

"I don't like you, do I?" He asked. "I don't know how I know that, but I do."

"I'll explain all of that," Aladdin said. "But first, I have to tell you that I'm _really_ sorry for how things turned out."

"What, you mean almost getting me killed by my sister's out of control magic?" He shrugged. "Water under the bridge."

"No, not that," Aladdin said. "I was..... trying to fix what they'd done to you, but I couldn't figure out how to untangle it all without sealing it away."

"Yeah, I heard you mention something about that," he muttered. "You locked up my magic so I couldn't use it or something?"

"Something like that," Aladdin said. "I just didn't know what else to do."

"You do what you gotta do," he said, stretching his arms. "Doesn't sound like you had much other choice, so I'll let it go _this time_. But _don't_ do it again."

Aladdin nodded, a relieved tear sparkling in his eye.

_I don't remember this guy, and I know I don't like him, but somehow....... I think there must have been some small part of me that missed him._

"Couple questions, though," he said, crossing his arms. "First off, what's up with those light things, and why are they so heavily concentrated around _you_?"

"They're called the Rukh," Moira said. "And they're no more focused around him than they are around you."

He blinked, then looked down at himself. She was right. The-- what had she called them? _Rukh?_ \-- were fluttering all around him, much more so than around his sister.

"Is it because of magic or something?" He looked from Aladdin to her. "But you can use it too, right sis? So why aren't there more by you?"

"I'm just a regular magician," she explained. "You and Aladdin, you're special. _Magi_. Which means you have access to a lot more power than your average magic user."

"Me?" He wrinkled his brow in confusion. "But I don't remember ever even using magic."

"You haven't," Aladdin said. "Not in this life, anyways. But Magi are Magi because we're born that way, not because of anything we've done."

"Alright," he said. "Do I get to learn any actual magic now?" Moira laughed.

"Let's save the lessons for later," she said. "In the meantime, do you think you can get up?"

He stretched and stood up slowly. Then he looked at the clock.

"It is _so_ late, Mom's going to kill us." Then he looked around. It looked like it might be someone's bedroom, but he didn't know whose.

"Don't worry," Moira said. "I already called her and told her we were sleeping over at a friend's."

"A friend's?" He looked at Aladdin questioningly.

"Oh, no, not me," the boy said.

"This is the home of the MacLeas," Moira said. "They're relatives of people I was friendly with back home. Malachy carried you over here after you.... passed out."

"Ah," he said. "What happened to all those other people? The weird guy with the purple hair, and that guy you were fighting with, and that blond boy, and the others?"

"Uncle Simon and the others were worried about you, so they all came along," Aladdin said.

"They're all dear friends of mine," Moira said. "They know about..... all of this, too. Would you like to meet them?"

He thought about that for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Alright, why not? Gotta make sure they're the kind of people I'm okay with letting my sister spend time with."

"Excuse me," Moira said, ruffling his hair. "I believe _I_ am the older sibling here?"

He stuck his tongue out at her. Then the three of them walked to the door. Aladdin first, with Moira right behind him.

"Guys, there's someone I'd like you all to meet," she said. He looked around at the large group of people-- there were definitely more here than he'd seen in the gym.

A tall Hispanic guy was sitting on the couch, and two people he assumed were the guy's wife and kid were sitting next to him.

Meanwhile, the redheads seemed to have multiplied. The older guy and teenage girl he'd seen before were both standing near the back, while a redhaired woman was bringing out food and two teenaged boys with the same red hair leaned against the walls. _The MacLeas,_ he assumed, vaguely recalling their redheaded former neighbors. _This is their house._

The purple haired man stood in the middle of the room, deep in conversation with the white-haired guy and blond boy. He scowled. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about that tall guy that just..... _rubbed_ him the wrong way. Same with the blond kid-- Alan, he recalled. _Just like with_ _Aladdin. I don't hate them, but they're_ definitely _really annoying._

And, even closer, the guy his sister had been been arguing with was standing, arms crossed. His face was a perfect mask of calm. But his eyes..... his eyes were fixated on Moira. He looked at her like...... _Like he's spent years living underground, and she's the sun._

He scowled at the guy, who just smirked at him.

_What do you think you're doing, staring at my sister like that?_

"Everyone, this is my younger brother," Moira was saying. "He's thirteen years old, and he's in eighth grade."

"Wait, he's _younger_ than us?" He heard Alan whisper to Aladdin, who'd gone to stand near his friend.

"It's nice to meet you," the redheaded girl said. "I'm Morgan MacLea."

Everyone around the room started introducing themselves, too fast for him to follow. _Seriously, what is up with these people?_

When they stopped talking, he realized they were waiting for him to talk.

"Nice to meet you all, I guess," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Thanks for taking care of me and my sister." He gave the swordsman-- _Tiburon_ \-- another scowl.

"What's _your_ name?" The little kid on the couch, who's name he couldn't remember, asked.

"I'm Jude," he said. "Jude Yamaguchi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way back when this was _supposed_ to be a one shot, this entire chapter was just going to be one quick scene at the end of the fic. Like, surprise plot-twist, Moira has a younger brother, and he's Judar's reincarnation!
> 
> But then I was skimming through all the mentions of Judar in WCA, and I noticed the line "......and Judar... well, no one was sure if what he’d done to help Judar would stick." And I was like, "What did he do to Judar?" Because they were talking about what happened to the other Magi, and it sounded like Yunan and Titus had been sealed in the Sanctuary with Aladdin, but no one seemed to know what had happened to Judar.  
> And the bunnies were like "Ooooh, more plot!" And then this happened.

**Author's Note:**

> So I recently read Vathara's modern reincarnation AU "What Comes Around," and I absolutely _love_ it.
> 
> There's a scene in there where **(spoiler alert)** Tiburon undergoes a magical ritual to regain his memories of his past life, and actually has a whole conversation with his former self (Sharrkan). One of the things they discuss is where Sharrkan messed up with Yam and what Tiburon should do if he's ever lucky enough to find her again. **(end spoiler)**  
>  That scene made me _feel things_. And I _could not_ stop thinking about it. I needed a sequel, if only for the follow-up for that. But considering that that fic was completed over four years ago, I figured there would not be one forthcoming-- or at least not anytime soon.  
> And then the plot bunnies were like _you write one, then_.
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://ljf613.tumblr.com/)!


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